Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The position about halfway up a mast or pole at which a flag is flown as a symbol of mourning for the dead or as a signal of distress.
- transitive verb To place (a flag) halfway up a mast or pole.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The position of a flag lowered half-way down from the head of the staff or from the gaff-end, as a mark of respect for the dead or as a signal of distress: generally used with at.
- To place (a flag) at half-mast.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A point some distance below the top of a mast or staff.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The lowered position, half the height of a mast, at which a
flag is flown when expressing respect for the dead.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a position some distance below the top of a mast to which a flag is lowered in mourning or to signal distress
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Hance, 51, had no previous criminal record before the outburst late Sunday morning and his death in a shootout with police in Copley, where a flag flew at half-mast Monday outside the home where the carnage began.
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Hance, 51, had no previous criminal record before the outburst late Sunday morning and his death in a shootout with police in Copley, where a flag flew at half-mast Monday outside the home where the carnage began.
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The U.S. flag is otherwise flown at half-staff (or half-mast, on ships) when directed by the President of the United States or a state governor.
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Flags flew at half-mast, pundits pontificated, and Americans watched replay after replay of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center.
Ocean Robbins: Was 9/11 Really a Call to War? Ocean Robbins 2012
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Jason pops out of the water and after raising his arms half-mast and breathing hard, he literally feels his way past the dock.
Scab Boy is THE Source for Friday The 13th Fan Films! | Fan Cinema Today 2009
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He ordered flags to fly at half-mast and that Hoover's body lie in state in the Capitol.
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In a letter, Blatter also said that the Wales flag at Fifa headquarters in Zurich was flying at half-mast.
Wales match in February to be a celebration of the life of Gary Speed 2011
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It was preceded by a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, "9/11/01" was painted in white next to the blue court to commemorate the 10th anniversary, and the U.S. flag atop Arthur Ashe Stadium was at half-mast.
Serena Williams Upset By Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3 In US Open Final 2011
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This morning, I shopped for a keyboard stand for my new iPal, learned how to use Pages, and e-mailed an animated love story involving octopi to my dad, all while my eyelids were still at half-mast.
Suzan Colón: RIP: The... Pause Suzan Colón 2011
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Flags flew at half-mast, pundits pontificated, and Americans watched replay after replay of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center.
Ocean Robbins: Was 9/11 Really a Call to War? Ocean Robbins 2012
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